Ballymena to Londonderry Railway Line

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What capital projects and track maintenance have taken place on the Northern Ireland Railway Companies line between Ballymena and Londonderry since 1 January 1997; and what new capital and maintenance work is proposed for this line in the next two years.

Lord Williams of Mostyn: Translink has advised that since 1 January 1997 the following capital projects have been carried out on the line between Ballymena and Londonderry:
	at Ballymena, Coleraine and Castlerock stations there has been excavation and replacement of spent ballast, removal and renewal of bull-head rail on timber sleepers with new concrete sleepers and rail used as necessary;
	continuous welded rail has been installed on the line adjacent to City of Derry airport and half a mile west of Downhill;
	work has been carried out on rail bridges and footbridges at various locations including Ballymoney, Cullybackey, Coleraine, Bellarena, Londonderry and Greysteel;
	approximately 70 metres of sea defences at Enagh, south west of Lisnahally, have been repaired.
	Translink has also advised that extensive vegetation control works have been undertaken and that there is ongoing annual maintenance to permanent way, signalling and structures.
	In relation to proposed work over the next two years, the Government's policy is to proceed with the implementation of the consolidation option in the Railways Task Force report as developed by the Regional Transportation Strategy for Northern Ireland 2002–12, the strategic direction and underlying principles of which were agreed by the Northern Ireland Assembly on 3 July 2003. In accordance with this policy, the Department for Regional Development has offered Translink grant aid to undertake the following minor works on the line: remedial action on an embankment at Galdanagh; installation of strail crossings at four level crossings north of Ballymena; points and crossings at Coleraine; demolition of an accommodation overbridge at Coleraine.
	Further projects may be approved within the next two years.

Waterways Ireland

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 30 April (WA 102), what are the details of the professional fees of £173,000 for Waterways Ireland; who were the consultants in receipt of these fees; how they were appointed; for what tasks; and how much did each task cost.

Lord Williams of Mostyn: The breakdown of £173,000 is as follows:
	
		
			 Consultants Fees Project Appointed 
			 PWC recruitment consultancy £66,300 Executive resourcing assignment in connection with the recruitment of the chief executive. Appointed under the terms of the human resources recruitment contract for all cross-Border bodies. 
			  
			 PWC Consultancy (IT) £100,000 IT Consultancy to provide expert advice in preparation for major financial and Human Resources contracts etc. Contract awarded as an extension of an existing contract for similar work already commissioned by the Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands (including the Waterways Division of that department). 
			  
			 OMI Equality Consultation £6,700 Equality. Selected off an approved list of consultants capable of providing equality training.

Northern Ireland: Hospital Waiting Times

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is the average waiting time between an appointment with a general practitioner and a hospital appointment and between a hospital appointment and surgery in Northern Ireland for hip replacements, heart surgery and general surgery; and how the waiting times compare with the average in the rest of the United Kingdom.

Lord Williams of Mostyn: Information on the average waiting time between an appointment with a general practitioner and a hospital appointment is not available.
	Information on the average waiting time between a hospital appointment and surgery for patients admitted to hospital during 2001–02 is shown in the table below.
	
		Average inpatient admission waiting times (in days) in 2001–02 for hip replacements, cardiac surgery and general surgery
		
			 Procedure Hip Replacement Cardiac Surgery General Surgery 
			 Number of Days 213 157 94 
		
	
	Source:
	Hospital Inpatients System
	Information for the rest of the United Kingdom could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the written answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 14 May (WA 35) concerning smoking chambers in the Royal Victoria Hospital, which were the interested parties within the trust which were consulted.

Lord Williams of Mostyn: The provision of smoking chambers was discussed by the trust's health and safety team, the trust's operational group and health estates staff.

Police Service of Northern Ireland and Garda Sochana

Lord Kilclooney: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What are the terms of the oath which members of the Police Service of Northern Ireland will take when they serve in the Police Service in the Republic of Ireland.

Lord Williams of Mostyn: The Garda Sochana (Police Co-operation) Bill 2003 currently before the Oireachtas disapplies for secondees from the Police Service of Northern Ireland Section 11 of the Police Forces Amalgamation Act 1925 which contains the oath for Garda Sochana members.

Police Service of Northern Ireland and Garda Sochana

Lord Kilclooney: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What are the terms of the oath which members of the Police Service in the Republic of Ireland will take when they serve in the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

Lord Williams of Mostyn: Members of the Garda Sochana who are on secondment with police powers to the Police Service of Northern Ireland will take the attestation as set out in Section 38 of the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2000.

Freedom of Information Act 2000

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What progress has been made and what remains still to be done to prepare Ministers of the Crown and their departments as well as other public authorities for the coming into force of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Good progress is being made throughout the public sector to prepare for the coming into force of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. The publication scheme provisions of the Act are now in force for all central government departments and agencies, as well as local government, and will be applied to all public authorities by June 2004, according to the timetable announced by the Lord Chancellor to Parliament on 13 November 2001.
	In order to prepare public authorities for the coming into force of the right of access in January 2005, substantial work is being done to train officials across the public sector. Officials in my department are currently engaged in a series of regional training seminars for public authorities across the country. Specific areas of the public sector, including the NHS and police, have established training programmes with which officials from my department have been involved. The work to train staff in public authorities will continue over the next 18 months.
	A summary of the progress which has been made by public authorities is contained in the Lord Chancellor's second statutory report on implementation, copies of which are in the House Library.

Freedom of Information Act 2000

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will consider it is feasible to accelerate the timetable for the coming into force of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The timetable for the implementation of the Freedom of Information Act was announced to Parliament by the Lord Chancellor on 13 November 2001. The publication scheme provisions are currently being implemented across the public sector according to this timetable and the individual right of access will come into force in January 2005, 11 months before the timetable set out in the Act itself.
	The implementation timetable is aligned with completion of the Government's project on electronic records management, and the extensive training and associated programmes required to ensure public authorities are prepared by the time the Act comes fully into force. There are no plans to accelerate the timetable.

Sentencing Policy

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they consider that, as a matter of constitutional principle, it is within the exclusive province of the judiciary, free of interference by the executive, to interpret prescribed sentencing guidelines and apply them to the circumstances of the individual case so as to ensure the proportionality of the sentence to those circumstances.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The imposition of any sentence in any individual case is a matter for the trial judge, acting within the statutory framework which Parliament has laid down and observing any relevant guidelines or precedents. The sentences passed in individual cases ae not a matter for Ministers, subject to the right of the Attorney-General to refer certain cases to the Court of Appeal if he believes the sentences passed are unduly lenient.
	Sentencing policy more generally is a matter on which the Government is entitled to take and express a view, and on which Parliament may legislate if it thinks fit.

UK/China Human Rights Dialogue

Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What subjects they intend to raise with the Chinese representatives at the forthcoming United Kingdom/China Human Rights Dialogue; and whether they will ask how the recommendations made by the United Nations Rapporteur on Religious Intolerance in the report on his 1994 visit to China have been implemented.

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The May round of the UK/China Human Rights Dialogue has been postponed due to SARS. New dates have yet to be agreed.
	On the UN Special Rapporteur on the Freedom of Religion, I refer the noble Lord to the Answer my noble friend Lady Amos gave to his Question on this subject on 5 February (Official Report, col. WA 33).

European Union: Forthcoming Business

Lord Brookman: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is the forthcoming business in the Council of the European Union for June; and what are the major European Union events for the period 1 July to 31 December 2003.

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: Forthcoming Business in the Council of the European Union, June-December 2003:
	
		
			 Date Location Event 
			 June 
			 2 Brussels Eurogroup 
			 2–3 Brussels Employment, Social Policy, Health  & Consumer Affairs 
			 2–3 Alexandroupolis Development Co-operation  (Ministerial Informal) 
			 3 Brussels ECOFIN 
			 4 Brussels Meeting of the Presidium 
			 5–6 Brussels Convention Plenary 
			 5–6 Brussels Transport, Telecom & Energy  Council 
			 5–6 Brussels Justice & Home Affairs Council 
			 6 Rhodes Public Administration (Ministerial  Informal) 
			 9 London Chancellor's statement to the  House of Commons on the  UK's euro decision 
			 11 Brussels Meeting of the Presidium 
			 11–12 Brussels Agriculture & Fisheries Council 
			 12–13 Brussels Convention Plenary 
			 13 Brussels Environment Council 
			 17–18 Luxembourg General Affairs & External  Relations 
			 20 Halkidiki European Council 
			 21 Halkidiki Zagreb II Summit 
			 24 Brussels General Affairs & External  Relations (GAERC) 
			 July 
			 2–3 Rome Research (Ministerial Informal) 
			 4–5 Naples Transport Infrastructure  (Ministerial Informal) 
			 6 Palermo Trade (Ministerial Informal) 
			 11–12 Varese Employment & Social Policy  (Informal Council) 
			 15–16 Brussels ECOFIN 
			 17–18 Treviso EU Employment Committee  (Informal) 
			 18–20 Montecatini Energy & Environment  (Ministerial Informal) 
			 22–23 Brussels Agriculture & Fisheries Council 
			 22 Brussels General Affairs & External  Relations 
			 24–25 Milan European Conference on  Discrimination 
			 25–26 Rome Competitiveness (Informal  Ministerial) 
			 25–26 Verona Education (+Research?)  (Ministerial Informal) 
			 August 
			  No Meetings Planned 
			 September 
			 3–4 Viterbo Telecommunications (Ministerial  Informal) 
			 5–6 Riva del Garda Gymnich (Informal Foreign  Affairs) 
			 7–9 Taormina Agriculture (Informal Council) 
			 12–13 Stresa ECOFIN (Informal Council) 
			 19–20 Rome Justice & Internal Affairs  (Informal Council) 
			 22–23 Brussels Competition (Internal Market,  Industry & Research) 
			 26–27 Erice Community Regional Cohesion  Policy (Ministerial Informal) 
			 29–30 Brussels General Affairs & External  Relations 
			 29–30 Brussels Agriculture & Fisheries Council 
			 October 
			 2–3 Brussels Justice & Internal Affairs 
			 3–4 Rome Defense (Ministerial Informal) 
			 7 Brussels ECOFIN 
			 9–10 Brussels Transport, Telecom & Energy  Council 
			 13–14 Brussels General Affairs & External  Relations Council (GAERC) 
			 13–14 Brussels Agriculture & Fisheries Council 
			 16–17 Brussels European Council 
			 20–21 Brussels Employment, Social Policy, Health  & Consumer Affairs Council 
			 27 Brussels Environment Council 
			 November 
			 4 Brussels ECOFIN 
			 6 Brussels Justice & Internal Affairs  (Informal Council—to be  confirmed) 
			 17–18 Brussels General Affairs & External  Relations 
			 17–18 Brussels Agriculture & Fisheries Council 
			 24–25 Brussels ECOFIN 
			 24–25 Brussels Education, Youth & Culture  Council 
			 27–28 Brussels Justice & Internal Affairs  (Informal Council) 
			 December 
			 1–2 Naples Euromed Meeting 
			 1–2 Brussels Employment, Social Policy, Health  & Consumer Affairs 
			 1–12 Milan Climate & Sustainable  Development Conference 
			 4–5 Brussels Transport, Telecom & Energy  Council 
			 4–5 Rome Closing Conference for the  European Year of the Disabled 
			 8–9 Brussels General Affairs & External  Relations Council (GAERC) 
			 12–13 Brussels European Council 
			 15–17 Brussels Agriculture & Fisheries Council 
			 16 Brussels ECOFIN 
			 17–18 Brussels Environment Council

Electronic Communications (Market Analysis) Regulations 2003

Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the definition of "market" in the Electronic Communications (Market Analysis) Regulations 2003 (S.I. 2003/330) includes the provision of services to educational establishments and the National Health Service.

Lord Sainsbury of Turville: In accordance with Regulation 5(2) of the Electronic Communications (Market Analysis) Regulations 2003 (S.I. 2003/330) the identification of markets must take due account of recommendations and guidelines issued by the European Commission. The first such recommendation (made on 11 February 2003) does not identify the NHS and educational establishments as specific markets. However many aspects of the provision of electronic communications networks, electronic communications services and associated facilities to educational establishments and the National Health Service are likely to fall within one or more of the markets identified in the recommendation.

Nuclear Industries Security Regulations 2003

Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the definition of "responsible person" in the Nuclear Industries Security Regulations 2003 (S.I. 2003/403) could include a person who is not a director of the company involved.

Lord Sainsbury of Turville: Regulation 2(2) and 2(3) define who is "the responsible person" in relation to any nuclear premises which is defined in Regulation 2(1) to cover three types of premises. Who is the responsible person depends on the type of premises.
	The responsible person in relation to the first type of "nuclear premises" (namely a licensed nuclear site on which nuclear material or other radioactive material is used or stored) is the holder of the nuclear site licence. Under the Nuclear Installation Act 1965 such a licence can only be granted to a body corporate. Therefore, the responsible person will be a body corporate (and not a company director).
	The responsible person in relation to the second and third types of "nuclear premises" is the person using or storing the material in question on the premises—that is the person on whose behalf the material is used or stored, and not that person's employees, officers or contractors. Therefore, if a company is using or storing the material, the company (and not its directors) will be the responsible person.

Energy Crops

Baroness Byford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What current acreage of energy crops are being grown for use by electricity generators; whether a target amount has been set, and by which year.

Lord Sainsbury of Turville: So far 1,768 hectares of energy crops have been planted for the production of renewable energy (including for heat as well as electricity). While no targets have been set for either the planting of energy crops or for the contribution of individual renewable energy sources, such as energy crops, the Government have set a target that 10 per cent of electricity will be generated from renewable sources by 2010.

Renewables Obligation: Wood Panel Industry

Baroness Byford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they are considering applying the renewables obligation conditions to the wood panel industry.

Lord Sainsbury of Turville: No. The renewables obligation requires electricity suppliers in Great Britain to supply a specified and growing proportion of their electricity from renewable sources. Suppliers are expected to produce 10.4 per cent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2010–11 and have three ways in which to comply with the obligation: through supplying eligible renewables electricity to customers in Great Britain; buying renewable obligation certificates independently of the power that gave rise to their issue; and/or paying a buy-out price to Ofgem rather than supplying renewables electricity.

Wheeled Free-range Egg Production Units: Planning Consent

Baroness Byford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether, as reported in an article in the February edition of Poultry World, planning law or planning guidance has been updated to require wheeled free-range egg production units to have planning consent on each occasion when they are moved; when was this done; and by what instrument.

Lord Rooker: There have not been any such changes made to planning legislation or national planning guidance. I believe the article to which the noble Baroness refers may have included comments on the outcome of a planning appeal. The planning inspector would have reached his decision on that appeal on the basis of the particular facts of the case before him and by applying current planning policies and guidance, in accordance with existing legislation.

Bellwin Grant

Lord Howie of Troon: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What amounts for each year since 1997 have been claimed by each health authority under the Bellwin scheme.

Lord Rooker: Bellwin grant is paid under the authority of section 155(4) of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989. Health authorities do not qualify since they are not included in the list of eligible authorities.

Bellwin Grant

Lord Howie of Troon: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the present arrangement in the Bellwin scheme where a claim can be made after a percentage of budget is to be changed; and what change is to be made; and
	What changes to the Bellwin scheme, as recently announced by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, are proposed to the way in which sums can be claimed under the scheme.

Lord Rooker: Before qualifying for Bellwin grant in any year an authority must have spent 0.2 per cent of its budget on activities that would be eligible for grant: 0.2 per cent of budget is referred to as "the Bellwin threshold". There is no proposal to change this provision of the scheme. However in the past, because of delays in the process of notifying authority budgets to the department the threshold was calculated using a proxy arrangement whereby the previous year's budget was uprated by the average increase in standard spending assessment for the following year. Since the standard spending assessment is no longer part of the local government finance arrangements we have waited until we had details of authorities' budgets and then calculated the threshold on the basis of 0.2 per cent of the actual budget. In accordance with normal arrangements officials consulted all authorities before promulgating the thresholds for 2003–04.

Iraq: Assets of Saddam Hussein

Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What information they have on the amounts and whereabouts of moneys reported to have been deposited in banks outside Iraq by or on behalf of Saddam Hussein and his family; and whether any action is open to them to facilitate the repatriation of these funds to the people of Iraq.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The Chancellor of the Exchequer has made clear that the Government are committed to taking the necessary steps to ensure that the assets of Saddam Hussein and his associates are used for the benefit and welfare of the Iraqi people.
	Working closely with coalition partners, a number of government departments and agencies continue to track reports of moneys deposited outside Iraq by or on behalf of Saddam Hussein and his family. If such assets were found, they would be frozen under UN sanctions legislation.
	In contributing to the drafting of a new United Nations Security Council Resolution, the Government have ensured that the assets of the former regime will be placed in the Development Fund for Iraq.

Armed Forces Reservists

Lord Vivian: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What information is being given to employers of Reservists serving in Iraq regarding their return to the United Kingdom and subsequent demobilisation.

Lord Bach: Employers are advised, at the time a Reservist is called out, that they can expect their employee to be absent for a period of between six and eight months. This is obviously subject to operational requirements. Where possible, the reserve forces' and cadets' associations (RFCAs), in concert with the regional chains of command, keep local employers of Reservists informed of the details.

Service Personnel: Matthews Judgment

Lord Clement-Jones: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What the impact will be of Matthews-v-The Ministry of Defence judgment given by the House of Lords on 13 February on those who contracted serious illness before 1987 in government service; and whether they have any plans to alter the impact of the Crown Proceedings Act 1947 in light of the Matthews case.

Lord Bach: The judgment handed down by the House of Lords on 13 February in respect of the case of Matthews-v-The Ministry of Defence confirms that service personnel who suffer illness or injury prior to 15 May 1987 are prevented by law from receiving compensation from the Ministry of Defence by virtue of Section 10 of the Crown Proceedings Act 1947.
	The Government have no plans to introduce legislation to allow service personnel suffering illness or injury before 15 May 1987 to receive common law compensation. When Parliament debated the repeal of Section 10, the question of retrospection was considered. The view then, as it is now, was that there was no logical point at which to draw a line, short of covering all types of injury going back to 1947, and this would create more examples of unfairness and injustice.

St Paul's Cathedral

Lord Fearn: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What help has been given to St Paul's Cathedral through heritage and lottery funding towards its present restoration costs.

Baroness Blackstone: St Paul's Cathedral has made an application to the Heritage Lottery Fund which is currently under consideration. English Heritage gave about £1.2 million between 1991 and 1998 to repairs to the cathedral and for conservation and archival work. English Heritage is not contributing to the costs of the present restoration work which is mostly interior and exterior cleaning, the costs of which are being met by private donations.

British Film Industry: Government Funding

Lord Fearn: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What grant has been given to the British Film Industry during each of the past four years and the current year to date.

Baroness Blackstone: The following table gives details of government funding for film. In addition to direct government funding, the Film Council has distributed Lottery funding for film since April 2000. Prior to this, the Arts Council distributed lottery funding for film.
	
		(£ millions) 
		
			 Grant receiving body 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–present 
			 Scottish Screen 2.2 2.4 2.6 2.6 0.4 
			 Sgrin 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.3 
			 Northern Ireland Film and Television Commission* 0.57 0.49 0.36 0.3 — 
			 British Film Institute 16.91 — — — — 
			 British Screen Finance 2.0 — — — — 
			 British Film Commission 0.85 — — — — 
			 European Co-Production Fund 2.0 — — — — 
			 National Film and Television School 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 0.4 
			 Film Council 0.5 21.8 20.9 24.1 5.3 
			 Total 27.43 27.19 26.46 29.8 6.4 
		
	
	Notes on table
	The Film Council became operational in April 2000. Prior to that, the Arts Council for England distributed grant-in-aid funding for film. In 1999–2000, it allocated £9.6 million for visual arts including film. The Film Council now funds the British Film Institute from the grant-in-aid it receives from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. The British Film Commission is now part of the Film Council. British Screen Finance and the European Co-Production Fund have been absorbed into the Film Council.
	*This refers to money received solely from the Department for Enterprise, Trade and Industry, and includes operating support to the Film and Television Commission.

Olympics 2012

Lord Jopling: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	In the event that London secures the 2012 Olympic Games, what surcharge is proposed for London residents, to pay part of the costs of the Games, for each band of local taxation; and what total sum will be paid in each case over the period when the charge is levied.

Baroness Blackstone: Government and the Mayor have agreed a funding package of up to £2.375 billion to help meet the costs of staging an Olympics in London in 2012. The London council tax payer would contribute up to a maximum of £625 million towards this amount.
	This would be funding raised from an additional £20 a year or 38p a week on council tax for a band D property—69 per cent of households in London are in bands D and below. This is approximately 2 per cent of the average band D bill being paid in London in 2003–04.
	The yearly amounts at different council tax bands are:
	Band A £13.33
	Band B £15.56
	Band C £17.78
	Band D £20.00
	Band E £24.44
	Band F £28.89
	Band G £33.33
	Band H £40.00
	On the current tax base this would raise £56 million a year.
	The first payment would not be until 2006–07 financial year when it is known whether London has won the right to stage the 2012 Olympics or not. The duration and total cost of the charge per household would depend on the overall cost of the Games.

State Pensioners

Earl Russell: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What percentage of pensioners lack a full contribution record; and what percentage of those lacking such a record are in receipt of the minimum income guarantee.

Baroness Hollis of Heigham: Thirty-five per cent of pensioners are in receipt of less than a full basic state pension; 14 per cent of these pensioners are in receipt of the minimum income guarantee. Pensioners who receive a reduced rate basic state pension include those who receive a reduced rate married woman's pension based on their husband's contribution record, those whose own or inherited national insurance record is incomplete, those who receive the reduced rate non-contributory pension and those who receive either graduated pension or additional pension only.
	Note:
	Data is based on retirement pension administration data.
	Source:
	5 per cent sample from the Pensions Strategy Computer System: 31 March 2002.
	100 per cent Government Matching Service Income Support data: March 2002.

Positive Activities for Young People: Funding

Lord Smith of Leigh: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What are the criteria and weightings for allocating "Positive Activities for Young People" funding; and whether they can justify the wide variation in funding neighbouring authorities in Greater Manchester.

Baroness Ashton of Upholland: The funding for Positive Activities for Young People is allocated to LEAs on the basis of the number of robberies committed; the number of sessions missed in schools; the number of primary and secondary pupils; and the level of funding that areas received under schemes last year. Weightings have also been applied to take account of additional factors such as Behaviour and Improvement Schools and Excellence in Cities areas.
	Greater Manchester has received a total funding allocation of £2.1 million. The variations in funding between LEAs will be dependent upon the funding they received in previous years, the levels of robbery in those areas and levels of truancy. Extra consideration has been given to areas with Behaviour and Improvement Schools and to Excellence in Cities areas. Government Office North West also took the decision to ensure that there is a strong focus on community cohesion in their region and have reallocated a small amount of their funding to take account of this.

A&E Waiting Time Targets

Baroness Finlay of Llandaff: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they are aware of any accident and emergency departments that have taken extraordinary measures to meet their waiting time targets during the recent monitoring week commencing 24 March.

Baroness Andrews: In the long term, the four-hour Accident and Emergency (A&E) target, like other waiting targets will be met, not through extraordinary measures, but through a combination of sustained investment and changes in which the National Health Service works.
	A milestone of 90 per cent was set for March 2003, as an early staging post on the way to the 2004 target. The most important ingredients of the success for trusts achieving the 90 per cent milestone have been hard work, innovation and commitment of NHS staff.
	The new system of devolved responsibility has given the local NHS the freedom to use their resources to deliver health services according to the needs of their local populations. They do so within a clear national framework of priorities. Improving waiting time in A&E is a top priority for the Government and the public, so we would expect the NHS to focus resources on this.

Young Carers

Baroness Howe of Idlicote: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is the estimated number of young carers in the United Kingdom; and how many are members of the recently formed young carers organisation.

Baroness Andrews: The 2001 Census recorded a total of 149,942 young carers aged 17 and under. The Department of Health supports the Young Carers Initiative through a grant to the Children's Society. The Initiative supports over 250 projects or groups working with young carers, which are funded through a range of sources including statutory agencies, the voluntary sector and lottery funds. Each project in turn supports between thirty and fifty young carers. In addition, the Young Carers Initiative supports an annual festival which expects to attract 1,800 young people in 2003.

Young Carers

Baroness Howe of Idlicote: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they are satisfied with the support given to young carers by local education authorities and schools.

Baroness Ashton of Upholland: We know that some local education authorities and schools provide very good support to young carers. The department is looking at ways of disseminating good practice to other LEAs and schools.

Young Carers

Baroness Howe of Idlicote: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether additional responsibilities of young carers and the necessary support they are likely to need is adequately covered in initial and subsequent teacher training.

Baroness Ashton of Upholland: Since September 2002, we have ensured that the standards required to qualify as a teacher include an understanding of how pupils' learning can be affected by their physical, intellectual, linguistic, social, cultural and emotional development. A number of these issues may affect young carers. Newly qualified teachers are required to complete an induction period during which they liaise with parents and carers to further develop their professional knowledge.

Young Carers

Baroness Howe of Idlicote: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the national curriculum citizenship agenda covers the role played by young carers; and whether, where appropriate, these issues can be illustrated by the experiences of pupils.

Baroness Ashton of Upholland: The flexibility of the citizenship framework allows schools to choose how to organise and teach citizenship in a way that suits their pupils' needs. Pupils are taught about taking a responsible role in the community through participation in both school and community-based activities during citizenship education. Teachers can therefore draw on the role of young carers in discussions about responsible action and community service.